Coburn was born and raised in Quebec. He studied in Montreal, New York, Berlin, London, and Antwerp. Part of his body of work includes book illustrations, as in the accompanying image of the author and poet Henry Drummond for "The Habitant". There is a fine oil of a team of horses drawing logs from the bush in the winter, capturing subtle atmospheric effects. In 1927 he was elected a member of the Royal Canadian Academy. His work rests in many major institutions such as the A.G.O. and the National Gallery. He emulated Horatio Walker and had definite impressionistic tendancies.